The combination of communication networks which has become commonly known as the Internet initially transported client (sometimes herein referred to as an audience) requests from an desktop personal computer or workstation to a content origin server relatively unaltered. A content publisher, which received all of the client requests for their content and transmitted responses thereto, typically paid for these network transactions by settling with an entity (sometimes herein referred to as a hosting provider) that provided the content publisher with access, and the necessary transmission bandwidth, to the Internet through the destination server. The audience typically settled with a network access provider, such as an ISP, that provided access to the Internet through the originating server. This settlement was typically based on network connection time and bandwidth. This scheme was relatively stable and successful. Indeed, content publishers were keenly aware of their audience's activities and the audience was assured current content by interfacing directly with the content publishers' servers.
Evolution of the Internet has changed this client-server interaction scheme. Specifically, the development and deployment of network content caching technologies has modified the pattern of interaction between content publishers and their respective audiences. Today, proxy caches located on access provider networks often intercept audience requests immediately upon entering the access provider's network. Caches, which reduce the bandwidth costs to the access provider, store content previously requested by an audience member. Thus, the content can be recalled by additional audience members without having to return to the content publisher's origin server, to access the requested content.
Caching schemes have disrupted the network traffic awareness of content publishers and the economic simplicity of the Internet. Content publishers often no longer receive requests from or directly respond to all of their audience members, thus losing some visibility of their operations. Furthermore, hosting providers lose revenue tied to audience traffic metrics related to the content that is requested from their hosting services. In addition, access providers are also affected by such a caching scheme, because they are essentially acting on behalf of the content publishers by providing caching infrastructure and services, but receiving no related compensation from the content publishers. Finally, audience members are offered improved performance from the caching scheme offered by access providers and others, without being required to compensate the providers for the improved performance.
Several content caching schemes are currently implemented on the Internet, which affect the services and associated revenue models of various types of network service providers. For example, access providers may force an audience request to a proxy server, where a large number of requests terminate and from which cached content is served, thus reducing required network bandwidth. Consequently, revenue from access providers to telecommunications carriers that provide the network backbone infrastructure is reduced. Furthermore, telecommunications carriers may aggregate requests from multiple access providers prior to forwarding to content servers, which reduces the apparent requests for content from the content publishers as evidenced at the associated hosting providers. Consequently, hosting providers contribute less revenue to the telecommunications carriers, and, since the number of requests reaching the hosting providers is reduced, the content publishers contribute less revenue to the hosting providers. Hence, the introduction of these types of services has disrupted the previously typical, and relatively simple, flow of revenue between Internet participants.
For another example, a content caching scheme involves content publishers proactively transmitting content to a content distribution network through a hosting provider, whereby the distribution network stores copies of the content at various network nodes where it is accessible to audience members at will. The hosting provider loses revenue due to the reduced bandwidth related to content requests that it provides to the content publisher, but also receives additional revenue for its contribution to the content distribution service. In addition, the distribution network receives compensation from the content publisher for the distribution services provided, whereas telecommunications carriers typically receive less revenue due to reduced traffic on their network lines. Hence, the introduction of these types of services has also disrupted the previously typical flow of revenue between Internet participants.
Based on the foregoing shortcomings, a previously unmet need is recognized for a network services model that compensates various network providers for the contribution that they make to the efficient distribution of content between content publishers and audience members.